Monday, July 26, 2010

For some people, going freelance is the best way to start up a new career. And why not? By becoming a freelancer, you don’t have only one boss, you don’t have restricted working hours and schedule, and you won't even have dress up and go to the office because you can earn money by working inside the confines of your own abode.

FINDING A WHOLE NEW WORLD

One of the industries wherein freelancing is highly in demand is being a webmaster. With the help of the Internet, more and more webmasters are given opportunities to find livelihood and projects. Delving into design and web developing as a professional and even as a part timer will require a certain amount of planning and preparation. If you are a webmaster or if you have background in web developing and you would want to work as a freelancer, here are some of the things you might want to consider.

1. Consider working on your own site. By now, you should be working on your own site because it is your shop front where people and potential clients would be looking at. As much as possible, your site should be free of errors and mistakes both in the code and the copy.

It should also be cross-browser compatible, easy to use, readable and at least formal or professional looking. If you already have a personal site, don’t use to promote your services as a web designer. It is best of you create or build a new site with a different domain dedicated in promoting your services as a web master or designer.

2. Start building your portfolio. Since you will promote your services virtually, it is advisable that you come up with a portfolio that will showcase the best of your work. If you are just a beginner in the world of freelance web designing, most freelance webmasters will suggest that you offer your services for free to voluntary groups that don’t have a site yet.

You can also build sites for your friends, relatives, and family members. By doing this, you can promote your services and talent to those who visit their sites.

3. Sell your portfolio. Aside from building good and reputable portfolio, you should do everything you can to build up your portfolio. By doing this, you can showcase you work while you gain experience in building sites.

4. Expect and accept that profit is some way off this early. Being a freelance webmaster can help you earn a lot—that is if you already have a stable and steady list of clients and a reputation in the field. Since you are just starting, don’t expect that projects will be rushing in this early. You are lucky if you get your paying clients this early. For the meantime, just continue building sites and who knows, potential clients will be inquiring about your services soon?

5. Keep a day job. Since you are just starting your career in the world of freelance web design, it is wise to keep a day just to sustain your financial needs. Although it may mean that you have to work double time, don’t worry because it will pay off soon as you get a paying client. If you can keep a day job and still maintain doing your freelance stint, then it will be better because freelance work by nature is unpredictable.

If you don’t get clients, giving up a regular pay check will only make your financial constraint worse. Even if you already have paying clients, it will still be a wise decision to keep a day job because it is ca safe fallback once you don’t develop a steady stream of income from part-time web developing. It is also advisable to use the early payments you have earned in doing freelance web design in other projects or by keeping it in a bank so you can use some of it when emergency comes.

Monday, July 19, 2010

One of the most lucrative venues the Internet has provided is in the field of web designing. Today, more and more people and business establishments are in need of skilled people who can create and maintain their websites and this is where web designers rush in.

With the continuous roll out of broadband services in various parts of the globe, it is not surprising that there are so many businesses who have not thought of having a corporate web site before are now seriously contemplating of having one. After realizing how the Internet can help their business, more and more company owners are considering to put up their own web sites to boost their marketing and promoting strategy.

Aside from jumping into the bandwagon of modern technology, having a website will also give companies as online presence and representation once the site is complete.

BECOMING A WEB DESIGNER

Undeniably, there is a growing market for freelance web designing today. If you are a web designer and you are considering freelance work, then it is now time to narrow down your options clearly. The market for web designing continues to grow as long as there are companies who need web designers in creating a front for traditional businesses or services.

Aside from having business as potential clients, freelance web designers can also rely on the billions of existing web pages in the Internet because these sites will need to be designed, built and maintained later on. If you're planning to do freelance web designing, then you should gain knowledge and experience you need to become one.

The first thing you need to consider is getting educated about the field. Today, there are many colleges and universities that offer multimedia courses and degrees. By enrolling in one of these educational institutions, you can learn different disciplines needed in order to become an expert in the field of freelance web designing.

Secondly, you need to reassesses the skills you need to be able to become a successful freelance web designer. Most freelance web designers agree that to be able to become a competent web designer, you should be able to complete a web site on your own. By doing this, you will have the knowledge in designing the layout of your client’s site while designing the elements that involve the use of Photoshop and Illustrator (Adobe) or Fireworks and Freehand (Macromedia).

Also, to be able to become a successful freelance web designer, you need to understand aspects such as design and image optimization in order to give good download, make the site easy to use, make it more search engine friendly and most importantly, to make it cross browser compliant. You will also need to have a good knowledge of HTML as well as an editor to be able to create a page.

If you're just new in the industry of freelance web designing, you might be using Microsoft Front Page but most freelancers say that newbies should veer away from using it because it has a lot of proprietary codes that are oftentimes non-cross browser compliant.
Macromedia's Dreamweaver is the advisable option in creating a site because it will save you time and energy when compared to hand coding. Aside from that, it is also quite important for you to understand the HTML behind the design.

Aside from Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop 5.5 with Imageready 2.0, Illustrator 9.0, and Flash 4 can also help you create better web sites.

Monday, July 12, 2010

The birth of the Internet has definitely changed the landscape of communications people enjoy today. Aside from providing a seemingly limitless source of information, the Internet has also opened up a lot of opportunities to people and businesses as well.

One of the most lucrative fields where freelancing is widely popular is graphic design. Today, more and more designers are getting into freelance because they can have the artistic freedom they have been longing for.

The most popular set of designers are graphic designers. These are entrepreneurs that have independent spirit combined with a sense of adventure. Having their own bold vision of success, graphic designers now venture to freelancing so they will have the artistic independence they want. Despite having to working extended hours, more and more designers are into doing freelance work because this means that they can have more assignments and projects and they have more chances of earning money in the process.

Graphic designers are those people who are known to generate and create visual presentation and design of various goods that include websites, album covers, soap boxes, and even cat food cans. The works of these people are usually done on a project basis so they are known to work under extreme time constraints in order to produce quality material or output.

To be able to be a successful graphic designer, you will need Adobe Photoshop 5.5 with Image Ready 2.0 so you will get the most out of the photos you will use. This version is one of the latest from Adobe because it offers premier image-editing solution that is perfect for print and for the Web as well.

Aside from this, you will also need Illustrator 9.0 so you could transform your creativity and ideas into impressive graphics for that you could use in print, on the Web, and in dynamic digital media as well. Lastly, you will also need QuarkXPress, one of the leaders in desktop publishing or In Design 1.5 in order to achieve professional publishing results with such creative flair, freedom, productivity enhancements as well as precision.

Indeed, being a freelance designer means that you possess great visual communication skills in order to convey a specific message—either an idea or concept—to a defined group of people using print or visual media. As the profession of graphic designing evolved through computers and digital technology, the growth of demand for the field also increased.

But before you finally decide to become a freelance graphic designer, you must know first who your targeted market is. If you are planning to go freelance, your market will definitely include design agencies. Aside from that, your potential clients might include companies that have upcoming campaign or projects. Here are some tips you can do to strengthen your freelance stint as a freelance designer:

1. Strengthen your network. You can do this by attending design conferences and interacting with other freelance designers, exhibitors, guest speakers, and the like. You can also strengthen your network by going local clubs, art-house cinemas, galleries, and café bars so you could meet local freelance designers as well.

2. Build your portfolio. Since this serves as you calling card, make sure that you build a reputable portfolio for your clients to see.

3. Create your own branding. If you are out in a freelance venture as a designer, you should be able to create your own branding just like in any business so you will earn a distinct reputation in the specific field.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Today, more and more graphic designers are into selling freelance design because it opens the door for better opportunities. If you are interested in offering freelance design, then you should familiarize yourself with the basics of freelance design.

1. Know when to say "NO." If you are into the field of freelance design, the first thing you need to learn is when to say "no" because this will create a great impact on the project output later on. If you don't like the suggestion given by the client, then you should learn how to decline politely.

If the client still persists, learn how to use the art of compromise not to surrender. If you know how to manage persistent clients and know how to compromise, then you can create a harmonious working environment. But then again, there will always be clients who are not willing to compromise. If you encounter these kinds of clients, then it is best if you know how to get out of the situation because they are not worth all the trouble you are about to experience.

2. Always be polite, persistent, and positive. If you are dealing with clients, make sure that you always communicate in a very professional manner. Always exude an air of politeness by listening intently to your client, be persistent if you must because this is one way of educating your client and always be on the positive side.

3. Make sure that you constantly strive in increasing your level of skill and expertise. Learning is a never-ending process. If you are in the field of freelance design, then you must always strive to learn and grow as a professional.

4. Take time to relax and boost your self confidence. The primary reason why you have gone freelance is that you would want to veer away from time constraints and hectic schedule. So take time to relax. If you are relaxed, then you could have enough self-confidence to do the job.

5. Make it a point to have fun even if the going gets tough. It is a must that you love your profession in order to enjoy what you are doing.

6. Always have a personal life. Make it a point that you enjoy a personal life so when you experience stress and problems in your work, then you will always have a fallback.

7. Always practice honesty and ethics. If you can't keep a promise, don’t give it. Always be honest if you can't deliver what the clients want. Never compromise if you can't follow the agreement and always be ethical in conducting business arrangements.

8. Try to be a good businessperson. Being a freelance designer means that you are running your own business. Being the boss of your own so-called "company," means that you are expected to know the ABCs of the business. As a freelance designer, you should always inform yourself about your rights.

Protect it by keeping abreast of the recent ethical standards, laws and tax reforms. You should also be updated with the current pricing guidelines, effective negotiation skills, ways of maintaining excellent records and paper works and the organizations where you can join.

9. Never take any rejection personally. Always maintain a sense of professionalism by not taking rejection and criticisms personally.

10. No matter how busy you are, never ever miss a deadline. Being a freelancer doesn’t mean that you can miss a deadline because you are your own boss. If you have a habit of missing a deadline, chances are you will find yourself losing clients along the way.

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